Management of Ford Motor Company would soon rollout the drums to celebrate the 60 years of existence of Land Rover. Land Rover made its debut on April 30, 1948 at a motor show in Amsterdam. The current Defender descended from that first vehicle, known as a Series 1. Since its debut, Land Rover seems to be going from strength to strength, with a five-model line-up headed by the Range Rover, and recorded global sales of over 226,000 vehicles in 2007.

Setting the pace for the 60th anniversary of the vehicle, the company recently received an early birthday present, in the form of two Queen's Awards for Enterprise. The first, for 'International Trade', was given in recognition of export sales of nearly £4 billion per annum to 147 countries, with markets such as China and Russia driving major growth. The second, for 'Innovation', was awarded for Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system.

Land Rover has been an outstanding British engineering and manufacturing success story. Its manufacturing plants at Solihull (near Birmingham) and Halewood (near Liverpool) and its Research and Development facilities in the English Midlands, employ a workforce of 8,500 - and the company helps support an estimated further 40,000 jobs through automotive suppliers.

Since the first Series I model rolled off the production line at Solihull, the vehicles created by Land Rover have defined the SUV market. In 1970, the company introduced what has been called the most significant SUV ever, the Range Rover - the first SUV to be equally capable on-road as off-road. Now, alongside the Range Rover and Defender, sit the LR3, LR2 and Range Rover Sport.

Land Rover's spirit of adventure has been evident from the earliest days.

Adventurers, farmers, scientists, naturalists, and outdoor sport enthusiasts have all used Land Rovers' capability to access some of the world's most inhospitable regions. For 60 years, the company's vehicles have also worked for a multitude of humanitarian and conservation organizations.

According to Phil Popham, Land Rover's Managing Director, "Land Rover's history is a long and illustrious one - and the future is just as exciting. We are committed to maintaining our relevance and meeting the needs of our customers in a changing global environment. Earlier this year, we unveiled a glimpse into our possible future - the diesel hybrid LRX cross-coupe concept. This signals that Land Rover will continue to evolve, with capability, premium values and sustainable motoring at the top of the agenda."